Pesto Sauce (Michael's Way)
Serves 6-7
3 cups fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic
3 tbsp pine nuts
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2 tablespoons pecorino cheese, freshly grated
(If using Tuscan pecorino, use 3 tablespoons.)
3/4 cup olive oil
Salt
Chop the basil leaves and place them in a mortar (earthenware is preferred to wooden). Chop the garlic and add, then add the pine nuts. Work the mixture with a pestle until you have a coarse paste. Place the mixture in a bowl, add some of the cheeses. When the mixture becomes too solid to handle, start adding the oil a little at a time. Continue adding cheese, alternating it with the oil. Taste, and add salt to taste. Keep mixing until all the oil has been added.
Alternative: If you have a food processor, use the same proportions but place the basil leaves, the garlic, and the pine nuts in the bowl. Using the sharp blade, run the motor for 3 seconds. Put the mixture into a bowl and set aside.
Place the chunks of Parmesan and pecorino in the bowl of the food processor and run the motor for 5 seconds, according to the age of the cheese. If the Parmesan is very hard, you might need a couple of seconds longer. Add the cheeses to the basil mixture and start pouring the oil into the bowl in a steady stream as you would for mayonase. Pesto, however, should be thicker than mayonnaise.
The classic Genoese dish is Trentte col Pesto, a special size of pasta, but it may be used for any kind of pasta, provided you add a couple of tablespoons of th